Network For Animals Logo
Network For Animals Logo
  • Home
  • Where we take action
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • Where we take action
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
Donate now
  • Where we take action
    • Campaigns
      • Ukraine Crisis
      • Cats In Crisis
      • Disaster Relief
      • Dogs In Distress
      • Equine Care & Rescue
      • Seals
      • Worldwide Donkey Crisis
    • Testimonials
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Donate
Menu
  • Where we take action
    • Campaigns
      • Ukraine Crisis
      • Cats In Crisis
      • Disaster Relief
      • Dogs In Distress
      • Equine Care & Rescue
      • Seals
      • Worldwide Donkey Crisis
    • Testimonials
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Donate

The US Meat Animal Research Centre: Farm Animals Still Suffering Due to Legal Loophole.

  • April 5, 2017
  • News
  • United States

In September, we gave our supporters an update on the shocking Meat Animal Research Centre (MARC)  in Nebraska. A story we originally brought to your attention in January.

MARC  has operated in collaboration with the University of Nebraska- Lincoln  since its founding by Congress in the 1960s and has a $22.7 million taxpayer-funded budget.  Its horrifying research experiments on meat-producing animals were exposed by Pulitzer Prize winner, Michael Moss. Experiments so horrifying that even the meat industry itself is condemning the actions of the centre, and the inhumane treatment of the farm animals under their care.

In one experiment, the foetuses of pigs were “manually crushed” in order to study the effect of empty uterine space on birth intervals in pigs. And in his shocking  full length investigation , Michael Moss described workers pushing animals, or watching them fall, as the workers stood by and enjoyed donuts. One poor cow had her head held in a cage-like device for hours and was mounted by a bull  until her bones were broken, her insides were torn apart, and she died.

Unbelievably, as U.S law stands today, the centre is  abiding by rules on animal welfare, precisely because there are no laws in place to protect farm animals in this situation. The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) specifically exempts farm animals “used or intended for use for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improving the quality of food or fiber.” This legal loophole allows MARC to get away with these horrific and inhume research practices.

Network for Animals communicated for months with numerous officials at the Department of Agriculture and sent one of our representatives to Washington D.C.  Over 25,000 of our supporters signed our petition to Secretary Vilsack.

In a formal written response, Network for Animals was assured that “a thorough review of animal handling protocols and procedures” was underway conducted by an “independent panel”,  and that the USDA Office of the Inspector General is conducting “its own investigation into the allegations”

Shortly afterwards, the USDA announced a ban on new animal research projects conducted at MARC, until new procedures ensuring greater accountability for animal welfare were fully implemented.  A few months later, in June this year, John Pollak, director of MARC, said the centre had addressed seven of the recommendations for animal care and well-being made in a report by a five-member panel that toured the center in March. However it is important to note that publication of all research papers from MARC were immediately suspended by the nonprofit organization that oversees the Journal of Animal Science, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. To be published, the journal requires all research done after 2003 be approved by an animal care committee that meets certain guidelines, which the centre’s committee did not. MARC may be operating within the realms of the law but it has clearly been noted that they have a long way to go when it comes to animal welfare.

NFA is still not satisfied that the animals at MARC are being treated with due care and attention and with the help of our supporters we will fight to have it shut down. We also won’t rest until the legal loophole which allows farm animals used in research to be exempt from the Animal Welfare Act, is closed.

We are pleased to acknowledge the proposal of  an Animal Welfare in Agriculture Research Endeavors (AWARE) Act, which has been put forward in the House of Representatives. If passed, this would protect farm animals in research centres like MARC from being treated in such cruel and inhumane ways. But since this bill was first introduced on 27 February 2015, no progress has been made.

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 15.45.46

[box]Please donate today, to fight for animals living lives of misery[/box]

[box]Sign our petition to Secretary Vilsack to shut down the Meat Animal Research Centre[/box]

By supporting our work, you are reaching out with caring hands to stop animal abuse

Please donate now
Stay up to date

Stay up to date

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp

WATCH: Eva’s Happily-ever-after! From A Terrifying Township To A Fabulous Fur-ever Home

Little Eva was just 7 weeks old when she was rescued from the South African township of Philippi by our partner TEARS. We didn’t know

16 May 2022

Good News Update: The Animals Of APA El Refugio Get New Kennels – And A New Home!

Back in February, we told you about our partner, the APA El Refugio shelter in Uruguay, which had been destroyed by a terrible fire soon

9 May 2022

Celebrate World Donkey Day With Network for Animals

World Donkey Day honors the resilience of this humble animal. Gentle donkeys often face unspeakable brutality and it is imperative that we raise the awareness

8 May 2022

Your Donations In ACTION: April 2022

It has been more than two months since conflict broke out in Ukraine and in all this time, we have been working without rest to

1 May 2022

Help us fight cruelty to animals around the world

Click here to donate

Network for Animals

Network for Animals is a non-government, international animal welfare organization crusading for animals around the world.

© Network for Animals
Privacy policy

Campaigns

Cats In Crisis Disaster Relief Dogs In Distress Equine Care & Rescue Seals Ukraine Crisis Worldwide Donkey Crisis

Stay up to date

Receive our regular emails about our campaigns for animals around the world.

Sign up

Sign up to our newsletter

Contact us

UK: +44 (0)20 8471 7666
USA: +1 727 599 8148
South Africa: + 27 21 794 9149
+ 264 81 653186

info@networkforanimals.org

Facebook-f Twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin
Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter

This website uses cookies to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo